Knit-Finity

As summer wanes, I love to muse on all things knitting. We live in such an uproarious world; days come and go with little of anything harmonious fitting into the hours.We all need, we all crave our own special space, our own little nook, somewhere just for us. And that's ok. Often we need to re-charge ourselves, plug into life's energizing chords, to get ourselves going again.Think how time has changed. Where once it took weeks to traverse from one city to another, now we do it in just hours. The "calm" in our lives is always waiting in the wings; only rarely do we bring it out to sit center-stage.There is a reason baseball is such a long game; back in its heyday there was nothing more sublime than to bask in the aura of a well- played game with friends and family. If it took all afternoon, that was a good thing.Look at the old homes in your town, and most of them are favored with front porches. Lovely to look at, and the place to gather with others to recoup the days' graces and to recount all its pleasures.Letter writing was once the art of the day. Being as important, long ago, as email is to us now, we think of writing letters as time- comsuming. But, in the days before television, radio, and cars, time needed to be filled up with worthy endeavors.Life may not have been as modern as today, but it had other resources many of which we are re-discovering in a new century.Even the Bible tells us that we should "aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands".Myriad gifts pass through our lives; knitting is mine. It puts me in mind of great cathedrals; they all began with the laying of one stone. So my precious creations begin with one stitch. Foundations are what we make them.Once learned, knitting is a cherished talent; one used to create for yourself, for your loved ones, your dear friends, even those you don't know and will never meet.Never again will you look at store-bought apparel in the same way! When special occasions drift through your life, you will be ready with your own memorable masterpieces.Knitting brings inspiration; in the inimitable words of Andy Griffith it's "just pure gala!"If you need space and time in your life to gather in your very self, then learn knitting. As the yarn passes through your fingers, you will recognize it as your own very special gift to the world.Knitting is its own distinctive prayer and meditation; crafted by you. As you go, there is so much to knit! So many people to help, and a ll your handiwork given with your unique mark upon it.I once read in a magazine that "to live with history is a rare thing. It's thrilling to know how things are put together and why they survive."All knitters instinctively know the way to peace. It is more than turning off the TV or turning down the music; it's in picking up your knitting needles.Solace awaits; blessings abound. Go knit, so your knitting will go into knit-finity.Copyright 2006 Alice Seidel

How to Curb Antique Shop Theft Inexpensively

If you have ever had your antique shop or mall ripped off, you understand that it's very hard to detect. There are simply so many items to keep track of, and an item can be missing literally for months and you may not realize it.Curb theft dramtically by using a simple and inexpensive technique.We all understand that perception is vitally important to human behavior, so why are we so fearful to use perception to our advantage when it comes to protecting our assets? Here's a step-by-step approach to shrinking theft by changing a customers perception of the security in your store.1. Select and purchase "dummy" video cameras. They do exist, and they can be used in combination with regular video cameras to give the illusion that your store is under constant surveillance. Put them in place all over the shop or mall in conspicuous places. The very sight of a security camera will often cause a thief to think twice before grabbing something.2. Put security signage in plac e around the store. These simple signs will remind people that you take security seriously, and that thieves will be prosecuted. You can find a sample of this simple sign through the link at the bottom of this article.3. Take your security very seriously. Never joke, or tell anyone that your dummy cameras exist. If you do catch someone stealing an object, make sure that you contact the proper authorities. As Barney Fife of Andy Griffith fame always said, "nip it in the bud!" Your attitude toward shoplifters should be firm and resolute. This sets a precedent for everyone who enters your establishment.Simple and inexpensive can reap great results.Since people's perception of a situation often determines their behavior, a majority of people that shop with you will not take the chance. Dummy cameras and simple, plain language signage can make a huge difference! You can also purchase security stickers for the doors and windows that give the impression that a large security system is in place. These steps are for small "mom and pop" antique shops. If you have a larger mall that rents space to others, you will no doubt want to have the "real deal" in place for your consignors peace of mind. In fact, your insurance company may demand it.Shrinkage is a fact of life in retail, but putting these pethods in place will certainly help.

When Online Business Strategies Require Change

If your online business was started before an economic downturn it can be daunting to look at the economic pressures a recession can bring to your business venture. The good news is there are some common sense ideas that can help you through.One of the best is something I've put into practice that comes from the role of manager. Whether it's filling a position, restructuring your marketing strategy, revising product offerings or reimagining your blog postings there is one primary thing that is as profound as it is simple - do the best you can with what you have.OK, I know this sounds like something you might hear Andy Taylor say to his son Opie on the Andy Griffith Show, but think about it for a minute. It is possible to reshift priorities based on what resources and tools you have available. In some cases there may be marketing tools that no longer make sense due to the economy. It could be that certain products make better sense than others. Perhaps the tone of your marketing practices needs to emphasize product quality over image cool.Whenever the climate of business changes you will need to reassess strategies based on 'doing the best you can with what you have.'Sometimes business owners act on trying to do something with tools they don't actually have. They can't adequately respond to contractions in business because of either fear or overconfidence. Both can be debilitating reactions.A fear response is very common in economic difficulties. It is easy to imagine a worse case scenario and then watch it become a self-fulfilling prophecy because fear disabled the business owner from taking appropriate action. On the other hand being overly confident can cause problems in that you don't calculate any risk you simply blaze a trail hoping for gold at the end of your trek. This can put off potential customers who may view your approach as arrogant and out of touch with the common man.A great online manager will shift approaches when needed and revisit strategies often. For instance when the economy improves they will adapt strategies to coincide with the expected increase in disposable consumer income. There may be reason to add new products and increase a modest amount of marketing capital that may appeal to impulse buyers.Many times businesses fail because the owner did not respond well to shifts in market demand or economic stresses. Online entrepreneurs may believe they should stay the course and resist shifting directions. Interestingly there is truth to this idea , but when a trend is noted there also needs to be some form of adjustment that will enable business owners to access change for the sake of their business. This is why routine business analysis is so important to any shift in strategy. When confronted with the facts you can pursue this course of action without fear and with calm assurance that you are doing your best to meet the needs of customers, and keep your business intact.

How Television Shows Reflect the State of the National Psyche

In the '30s and '40s, during the heyday of radio and long before television, comedy was king. People were sick of the realities of the Great Depression and wanted to laugh. Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Burns and Allen, and Amos and Andy were some of the big stars. What Americans wanted in entertainment was obvious and it didin't take a great deal of psychoanalyzing to understand why.Then came the fifties and television became the popular media. Fans followed their favorite comedians to the screen and comedy stars, especially Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Jack Benny were the household words. It was a return to the days of Vaudeville. But a new form of comedy appeared, the Sitcom. America was blessed with I Love Lucy, probably the greatest series ever to appear, and the nearly as good, The Honeymooners. Desi and Lucy, the Cramdens and the Norrises were real people. But with comedy, another type of show, the western, began to dominate air time. Gunsmoke was a popular radio show and m oved easily onto camera with James Arness replacing William Conrad as Matt Dillon.Soon came Richard Boone as Palladin in Have Gun Will Travel, Clint Eastwood and Rawhide and numerous other shows set in the old west. Fans clearly liked the genre, but the question is why. The most common reason given is that Americans were sick of the restrictions and rationing imposed during the Second World War and the storied freedom of the west was the type of catharsis they needed. Yes there were bad guys, just as there were in the real world, but the cowboy hero would step in to straighten things out, then ride off into the sunset. I believe that many people knew America was needed in the world, but hoped it could clean up the mess and leave.The 'sixties had myriad detective shows. Something clearly was wrong in the world at the time. The Soviets were ahead of us in scientific technology, launching the first satellites. Our foreign policy didn't seem to be working. Long-time friendly reg imes were being overthrown, civil wars in Africa, and we had communism at our southern border that refused to go away when we tried to force them out. The Bay of Pigs was an enormous blow to our national pride. We would take more with the Viet Nam War, the unrest of the Civil Rights Movement, the Kennedy Assassination(s), the Assassination of Martin Luther King and the Long Hot Summers.Someone or something was to blame and we needed detectives to figure things out. Nearly everyone who watched TV at the time can remember "Book 'im, Dano," from Hawaii-Five-O and Peter Gunn's racy sports car. Two of my personal favorites were Mannix and Mission Impossible. With the bloodshed and the uncovering of clues, Sitcoms carried on the tradition of real people with the Andy Griffith Show and Leave it to Beaver.Sitcoms came on even stronger in the 'seventies when the country reacted to the social activism of the 'sixties and the country made a sharp turn to the right. Mary Tyler Moore was the farm girl who came to Minneapolis to make good at a television station. All in the Family became the most famous sitcom of all times with a harried average-guy hero who couldn't seem to put a handle on all the things that were happening in the world. His perplexity reflected the country's own confusion at the time. But whether he liked it or not, the world was changing.Diversity was becoming a social and economic force. Happy Days and the Jeffersons were joined by Sanford and Son. An interstellar couple even made an appearan ce in Mork and Mindy and Three's Company dealt with unmarried men and women living together. Not surprisingly, Good Times and Luverne and Shirley looked back to the simpler days of the 'fifties and family values shone through in the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family. But in the end, the most memorable series of all would be a reflection on Viet Nam. Though set in the Korean War, M.A.S.H. reflected on the insanity of war and quietly reminded us that we had lost for the first time since 1812.Archie Bunker's confusion carried on into the 1980s and America seemed to share his obsession about crime. Hill Street Blues, was about murders and drug trafficking and the very real people who had to deal with it. Americans watched gritty shows like NYPD Blue and Miami Vice and the slightly less violent Cagney and Lacey and Hunter. With Ronald Reagan president, family values now clearly predominated. Family Ties had a young neocon as its hero, but Different Strokes, with its mixed race family, showed that blacks were now clearly included in the American consensus. The importantce of family even extended to Aliens, with Alf, and to the local bar with the close ties between the characters on Cheers. Reagan's economic bubble burst in October of 1987 and the Wonder Years reflected back to the joys of an earlier and perhaps simpler age.A subdued America elected the senior Bush to replace Reagan and sitcoms ruled as America entered the 'Nineties. With the election of Bill Clinton the focus seemed to shift away from family values, though they were still clearly there in a slightly different format in shows like Rosanne and Friends. The most important new show starred the Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The realism of the cop shows of the 80s reappeared in force with Law and Order. Concerns about the end of Millenium and the possible end of the world came to focus in Milennium and the cult-favorite, the X-Files.Law and Order continued into the new millennium and has spawned two sequels. The most important new development was the rise of the Crime Scene Investigator shows which began with CSI in 2000. After 9/11, three more CSI shows have come to the small screen. Why? Perhaps people are still wondering about how 9/11 could have happened. Just as important, who was behind it and how can they be tracked down and brought to justice. The nitty-gritty of Forensics might just be the way the case will ultimately be solved.In conclusion, our entertainment has always reflected the things we most needed to deal with. At times, it can provide an escape. At others, it may even have pointed out the way to a solution. Either way, it has always been one of our most important forms of dealing with issues.

Golden Globe Categories - Entertainment

Over time, the Golden Globe Awards have grown to acknowledge excellence in television as well as film, now with fourteen film categories, eleven television categories, and an honorary award named after its first winner, Cecil DeMille. Since 1951, the Golden Globes has separated its best film, actor, and actress categories into Drama and Musical or Comedy so that films and performers in varied genres would all have the chance to receive their much deserved recognition. In 1955, the awards began to include honors in television as well, dividing their categories by genre just as with the film honors. In 2007, the Golden Globes introduced a category for Best Animated Feature film.

Several special awards have also been added during the Golden Globes' history, including:

� The retired Henrietta Awards for Male Film Favorite and Female Film Favorite, which were retired after 1983. They had been determined by polling over 900 newspapers, magazines, and radio stations around the globe to determine which stars were universally admired and deserving of the title World Favorite. Among winners were Marilyn Monroe, Meryl Streep, Sophia Loren, Julie Andrews, John Travolta, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, and Sidney Poitier. (Other retired special awards include New Star of the Year, Best English-Language Foreign Film, Best Documentary Film, and Best Film Promoting International Understanding. � The Cecil De Mille Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures was added in 1952, and named after its first recipient, in recognition of outstanding and significant contribution to the entertainment industry. Among subsequent winners have been Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Sidney Poi tier, Audrey Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, and Martin Scorsese. � Miss and Mr. Golden Globe, added in 1963, is awarded to a daughter or son of a well known celebrity, chosen to assist with that year's ceremony.

Until 1958, the awards had been distributed by journalists. However, after the Rat Pack, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, took over the stage and ran the show that year, the result was such an astounding awards ceremony that they were invited to return in 1959 to host the show, which has been hosted since their unexpected success.

The record for individual winner of the most Golden Globe awards thus far (not including honorary or special awards like the Cecil B. DeMille or Henrietta Awards) is Meryl Streep, with seven awards, for her roles in Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada, Angels in America, and most recently, Julie & Julia. She also holds the record for the most Golden Globe Award nominations - twenty-five so far over the course of her career. Jack Nicholson, Angela Lansbury, and Alan Alda are tied closely behind her for awards won, with six Golden Globe Awards each. But of course Streep will always be considered the queen of acting awards, as she shows no signs of slowing down her crystal awards collection.

Among other notable Golden Globe Awards records, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has been the only film to sweep the awards from Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay - all five major awards.

Andy has over 10 years experience in the promotional product field, with a focus on crystal awards.

Feeling Lonely? - Go Back to the Front Porch

Last week while in North Carolina for someone's surgery, I was standing alone on a sidewalk getting ready to cross the street. A man walked up to me and began talking, "Hey what you doing?" I said, "Nothing. What are you doing?" He responded, "Oh, just standing here talking to you." I thought to myself, "This dude is weird!" He had some kind of speech problem, which made it difficult to understand him.That is not what made him appear strange to me. What made him seem a little "off" was the fact that he walked up to me and immediately began a conversation that included some personal questions. Such as, "Do you work around here?" When I answered, "No, I'm from Oklahoma", he wanted to know why I was in North Carolina. When I told him someone in my church was having surgery, he asked, "What kind of surgery?"Needless to say, I was taken a little off guard by all of this. I could feel myself moving farther away from him as our game of "20 Questions" continued. Finally, I told h im I had to leave to go check on my wife who was in recovery following her surgery. He said, "Okay, Marc.Great to talk with you." As I walked away, my thoughts of "how strange that guy was" began to give way to other thoughts. In particular, why was I so uncomfortable talking to this guy? Yes, the way he approached me was a little abnormal, and the man himself was kind of weird (I'm sure he thought the same of me). The reason I was uncomfortable is because we have become a disjointed society.Remember the Andy Griffith Show? They h ung out a lot on the front porch. They spoke with their neighbors. Everyone knew everyone. Today, we have given up our front porch for the back porch.We have moved to more private, less open lives. And to add to the back porch mentality, many of us have even put up a privacy fence around our backyard. We have become disjointed...detached from those around us. I am not suggesting we literally move back to the front porch, but rather that we would take on the "front porch" mindset. We need to be more open with others, more connected. We need people. Jane Howard said, "Call it a clan, call it a tribe, call it a network, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."Think about it, God created Eve for Adam. God understood that we need close relationships with other people, not just with Him. It is time for us to open ourselves up, and move back to the front porch!

Mt. Airy, NC: Mayberry Redux

The bronze statue sits in a well-landscaped bower adjacent to the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Sheriff Andy Taylor holds his son Opie's hand, fishing poles slung across their shoulders. I can picture the closing credits of The Andy Griffith Show: Andy & Opie walking down a country road with their poles, the snappy theme song being whistled in harmony. This statue captures that moment, and adds another dimension: Andy looking down amused and lovingly at his son, and Opie looking up at his Dad as if the sun rises and sets in him. Indeed, this evening nature itself cooperates in creating this image, because the evening sun pours through the trees over Andy's shoulder. In this moment, everything is right with the world.Of course everything is right with the world; I'm in Mayberry. Really. The map says I'm in Mt. Airy, NC, (the boyhood home of Andy Griffith) but I'm not fooled. This is Mayberry. Stroll down Main Street and you'll feel right at home. Stop for a trim at Floyds' Barber Shop, or just browse Floyds' "Wall of Fame" photo gallery. You'll see photos of previous visitors like Oprah Winfrey and Lou "The Incredible Hulk" Ferigno. Hungry? Enjoy a messy pork chop sandwich at the Snappy Lunch (in business since 1923). Make sure you don't jaywalk, though; Mayberry Deputy and (excellent) Barney Fife impersonator David Browning may arrest you. The Mayberry Deputy is a local favorite; he offers tours of Mt Airy in his black-and-white 1964 Ford Fairlane police car. You'll be dropped off at the Mayberry jail, just one block off Main Street. Have dinner at Aunts Beas, and then take in a play at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.Is Mt. Airy a town clinging to its' "15 minutes of fame"? Hardly. The Andy Griffith Show was a top 10 show throughout the '60, and spun off two other shows: Mayberry RFD and Gomer Pyle USMC. For 15 years, America invited Mt. Airy into its' homes every week. As long as there are Baby Boomers, Mayberry will live on.What happens when we "boomers" fade away? Will Mayberry fade away as well? Most likely. Younger generations know Ron Howard as a major Hollywood producer, not as Opie Taylor. But when Maybe rry fades, Mt. Airy will still be around. The people and values that inspired the Andy Griffith show will still be there: you'll find them right at the end of Andy Griffith Parkway.